The Sceptre Of Hera
by FanDom DreamS
Summary: A Percy Jackson novella: The story revolves around three heroes- Leo, Thalia and Grover; set on a mission to retrieve the stolen Sceptre Of Hera by the Queen of Olympus.


**This is ,like ,my first FanFic so no hate, please! :)  
Plus, none of the characters belong to me; all of them are Uncle Rick's mastermind. The plot is mine, though...xD  
I just hope you guys like it. Please post reviews and all so that I can improve my writing based on your opinions and stuff. Anyways, here it goes.  
:D  
**

* * *

**-**** Leo** -

**Four **flights up the stairs led to a green trapdoor.  
Leo swung the door open, grimacing at the scent of rotten wood. The air was warm and thick, clouded with fumes of a substance Leo couldn't identify. The room was decorated with Greek hero junk covered in cobwebs due to lack of maintenance.  
"I am the Spirit Of Delphi." A look of alarm made Leo take a minute to recognise the speaker.  
"Rachel?" Beaded necklaces hung around her neck, eyes reduced to glassy slits. Green mist poured out of her mouth with every syllable, "Approach, seeker, and ask."  
"Uh, wrong door-," he began nervously.  
Rachael's arms gripped his shoulders, her next words coiling around him like a bad dream.

"_Thalia, Leo, Rachael are the names,_  
_ More than three can play these games._  
_ One will be lost in the Land of Doom,_  
_ And one shall perish in the Fate Loom_."

Rachel reclined back against the wall, collapsing to the ground. Her mouth closed as if she hadn't opened it for years. The attic was silent again, abandoned, nothing but a room full of mementos.  
Leo had a feeling that he could stand there until he had cobwebs too. Bringing Rachel onto her feet, he knew that his audience with the Oracle was over.

"Well," Chiron asked.  
Leo slumped into a chair at the pinochle table, explaining the events that had unfolded. Chiron's face turned grave as he listened patiently.  
"That's about it," Leo paused, judging the centaur's expression cautiously. "What does it mean?"  
Chiron drummed his fingers on the table, choosing his words carefully. "I don't know, Leo. It might have a double-meaning. In this case, I suggest we give it a rest and think about it later. Furthermore, I want you to visit Rachel . . . she's in a state of confusion."  
Leo stood upright, staggering through the valley, memories flooding with thoughts regarding his session in the attic.  
He entered what looked like a bedroom and stared at the redhead lying unconscious. A wooden chair and table were the few amenities and the room was sparsely furnished.  
"Hey," he muttered, attempting to strike a conversation.  
Rachel's eyes fluttered open. "Where am I?"  
"You passed out while delivering a prophecy, I guess." Leo smirked lightly.  
A long drink stood at the centre of the table and Rachel grabbed it, wolfing down the contents. "It's not nectar," she filled in noticing the alarmed expression on his face.  
"You remember anything?" He asked.  
"No," she drawled sadly. "That's the problem. It's like an artist's urge to paint, the prophecies come to me naturally and later I can't even recall them."  
Leo paced towards the door.  
"Where are you going?" Rachel pressed.  
"It's time I contacted my dad," he said.

* * *

- **Thalia**-

**HAND** gripping the bow, Thalia took a deep breath. Chiron and the other campers were seated stiffly, lending their ears to what she had to say.  
"As I said before," she began, "the hunters and campers must unite."  
A glance from Phoebe made her shudder in remembrance of the last unfaithful quest. Calming her overwrought nerves, Thalia looked at Chiron for support who was presently bearing a grave expression across his grim features.  
"I know you mean well, Thalia, and given the circumstances it seems to me that your proposal was thought upon but it does seem too heavy a price to forsake the life of the hunters for this cause considering the events of the last time we had joined hands - when you yourself were a camper," he echoed and everyone else nodded.  
Thalia grimaced, tracing back the names of the people that she'd once been ignorant of the people whose lives had been claimed by the unexpected - Bianca, Zoe...  
"It won't be like that, Chiron," she promised, aware of the onlookers.  
Phoebe had subdued and had unfortunately resumed her hobby of 'people watching.' Thalia patiently waited for Chiron to offer his advice, hoping for the best. Her proposal of sending forth a search party to trace Percy and Annabeth had yet not been welcomed by the others who were unwilling to face again the risks of the previous quest. But it wasn't so much Thalia's attitude to let go of her friends and she would even go alone if nobody wanted to stand up with her.  
Just as Chiron was about to speak and voice his concerns, in rushed a guy with curly black hair, his goofy grin wiped out from his freckled face.  
"Chiron, I need_ to speak to you! Now!" _said Leo Valdez.

* * *

_-_ **Rachel -**

**QUIVERING, **Rachel tried to push away the thoughts that were invading her mind.  
The sleepy, intoxicating voice cooed no matter how much she tried to push it away. "Stop fighting and surrender, child."  
_No. Leave me alone, _Rachel whimpered to herself.  
"Foolish, child. You think you and your friends can stop me? The very ground under your feet is me; you dare do anything to me you'll wipe out mankind," the voice continued, softly.  
_Gaia.  
_ Rachel ignored the knot in her stomach, the uneasy feeling inside her as terror washed over her. "What have you done?"  
A laugh followed and Rachel was thrust into an imagery scene depicting Percy and Annabeth, side-by-side, smiling sadly.  
As real as they seemed, something was wrong with them. They were almost...invisible and curiously...dead.  
"Give up, Rachel," Percy moaned. "It's useless."  
"Rachel," Annabeth smiled. "Stop fighting against it. We died fighting for those unworthy Gods."  
"Those Gods are your parents!" Rachel said, exasperated.  
Her feet felt like lead and her eyes were burning. She wanted to collapse. Stretching out her hand towards Percy, Rachel stared in disbelief. Her hand went right through him.  
_It's an illusion. Gaia is trying to trick you, _she warned herself.  
Percy and Annabeth were reaching out to her helplessly, fading into the background.  
Everything happened at once: the surrounding spun rapidly; Percy and Annabeth's eyes turned red, glowering at her, their hands now replaced by sharp talons. Their skin was scaly, reptile-like and a pair of leathery wings extended from their backs.  
"STOP!" Rachel yelled.  
The images flickered, eventually fading away.  
Before she passed out, darkness taking over her, Rachel whispered, "Percy?"


End file.
